Salem, Virginia calling!

Hey all!

I'm Paul, currently in Salem, Virginia (but am originally from Northern Ireland). I've been shooting film since 2009, started out doing mostly color negative but have drifted into black and white, developing it at home, and now shoot a fair amount of medium format. Up until now I've been scanning my film for print and online presentation, but I now have an enlarger on the way and am working to turn my little den/office/man-cave room in our apartment into a semi-permanent dark room.

I finally decided it was time to join APUG as I've found it to be a useful resource though threads found in web searches and with darkroom setup plus climbing the wet printing learning curve, well, I imagine I'll be looking for even more information now!

Thanks all for the welcomes! Yes, I like it here, except for the heat and humidity in summer. Over 8 years and I'm still not fully adjusted to it! I'd be quite happy somewhere in the 68F to 72F range; not too hot or cold and just right for developing black and white! Really, though, anywhere I can find stuff to point a camera at works for me.

I'm very excited about getting into darkroom printing. I spend much of my day at a computer (and have done since I was about 11) and have been getting awfully disillusioned with having to do more of it when I just want to make photographs.

I spent many years growing up in this area. I left for over 40 years for good reason. I am only here because this is where to work is. You will never adjust the the $#!++y climate here, so do not bother to try.

LOL yeah, I'm pretty much resigned to it by now! I see you have So-Cal and VA as your locations; my wife is from Bakersfield and tells me that I'd prefer the "dry" heat there, she keeps threatening to bring me in July/August time though.